Assessment of Emission Reduction Strategies for Heavy Duty Gasoline Powered Trucks

As exhaust emissions from light duty vehicles in the New York Metropolitan Area are reduced, heavy duty gasoline powered trucks (HDGT's) will be responsible for an increasing percentage of the overall carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. In this study, Radian evaluated the effectiveness and feasibility of the following strategies to reduce emissions from HDGT's. 1) The retrofit of emission control devices, such as catalytic converters, onto used (in-use) gasoline powered trucks, 2) Inspection/maintenance (I/M) 3) Mandatory maintenance (M/M) - The requirement that, all vehicles be maintained at some time or mileage interval. The study found several problems with the retrofit of catalytic converters that may not be resolved strictly by adherence to good engineering practices. However, I/M and M/M appear to be promising strategies to reduce emission from HDGT's.